A vital piece of theatre: Royal Court’s For Black Boys reviewed

The psychiatrist and political philosopher Franz Fanon published the book Black Skin, White Masks in 1952. With chapter titles such as ‘The Black Man and Language’, ‘The Black Man and The White Woman’, and ‘The Black Man and Psychopathology’, the book remains a rigorous and unflinching dissection of the psychology of race from a black perspective. The play For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy takes inspiration from Ntozake Shange’s 1976 theatre piece, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf. Fanon is however, an equally important reference when thinking about the staging of this work at the Royal Court. 

Written and directed by Ryan Calais Cameron the play focuses on the stories of six young black men who have come together for group therapy. The performance presents sets of experiences that are often harrowing but also includes moments of joy and rapture. The opening scene uses dance and stark lighting to stunning visual effect.